5 And
it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of
Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from
the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again.
6 And
he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions,
from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned
again. (Mosiah 25:5-6)
This is interesting because it seems
that even though the Book of Mosiah only gives us the record of Alma from the
time they left Nephi-Lehi to the time they got to Zarahemla, evidently their
record also contained history from further back to Zeniff. It would be really interesting to see
if they redacted King Noah’s history to reflect how things really were.
7 And
now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried
in the land were struck with wonder and amazement. (Mosiah 25:7)
Why might it be helpful to us to know
that these records were read to all the people? I suppose it gives us a
preliminary picture of what it will be like in the day when all the books are
opened and everyone’s works are read upon the housetops.
Some of us have had an opportunity to
read our parents’ journals. What about our grandparents or great grandparents’?
What will we learn from their lives? What will strike us with wonder and
amazement about their accounts? Might we begin to see patterns that we would
not have seen if we only read our parents’ accounts? Might we begin to
understand how each generation affected the following generation?
8 For
they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered
out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.
9 And
again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites
they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.
10 And
again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in
delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of
bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.
11 And
again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their
sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the
welfare of their souls.
12 And
it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren,
who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the
conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of
their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they
might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were
called Nephites. (Mosiah 25:8-12)
We see here that records
have the potential to arouse all kinds of different emotions, from every end of
the spectrum, from pleasant to unpleasant. Joy, sorrow, gratitude, and pain all
seem stronger when you knew the people in the story, and it is cranked up a
notch when it is people you’re related to. We wish the story could have nothing
but good, but we may be disappointed.
We also see that the people
who had been part of the story became a sort of witness of the truth of the
record. The people who escaped from the Lamanites were a witness that they had escaped, while it is sad to think of
those who were not there because they had been killed by the Lamanites. Also, Alma and his people just being
there were a second witness of the power of God to deliver His people, and also
they could attest to the polluted state of the Lamanites, who they had to
escape from.
I suppose we may think that
we have to choose an all-encompassing observation and emotion through which to
see stories, but it may be hard to do that. Stories can be complex, and so can
people, mixes of good and evil.
When I apply this story to
myself, it makes me wonder what other records besides my journal will end up
saying about me. I hope it is good things. I hope I can repent of my sins fast
enough that my sins as recorded in others’ records will not be mentioned to me
at the last day.
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